Tagged: direct-to-consumer
30 results
Bandit Running
Bandit Running is a Brooklyn-born, community-first performance running brand founded in 2020 by Tim and Nick West with designer Ardith Singh. Starting with a single pair of cushioned running socks packed by hand, Bandit grew through New York run clubs into a full head-to-toe running apparel line - shorts, tights, singlets, sports bras, socks and lifestyle wear - sold direct-to-consumer. The brand is known for co-designing product with its running community, high social engagement, and The Unsponsored Project, which backs professional runners without shoe deals. Bandit raised a $14.25M Series A in 2023.
BYLT Basics
BYLT Basics is a Southern California premium apparel brand that reengineers everyday wardrobe staples - tees, polos, joggers and outerwear - with heavier, longer-lasting performance fabrics and tailored fits. Founded in 2016 by Eric Mear, who was frustrated that basic black T-shirts fell apart after a few washes, the direct-to-consumer label built its reputation on its flagship Drop-Cut silhouette and has grown into an omnichannel business spanning men's, women's and kids' lines sold online, in retail stores, and at wholesale partners like Nordstrom, shipping to over 50 countries.
CAKES Body
CAKES Body is a Los Angeles-based, women-led direct-to-consumer brand founded by twin sisters Taylor Capuano and Casey Sarai in 2022. It makes reusable silicone nipple covers and bra alternatives from medical-grade silicone that grip to skin using natural body heat instead of adhesive. After a viral organic-content strategy and a December 2023 appearance on ABC's Shark Tank - where it took a $300,000 investment from SKIMS and Good American co-founder Emma Grede - the bootstrapped company scaled to roughly $95 million in net sales in the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Cupshe
Cupshe is a California-inspired, direct-to-consumer beachwear brand for women that sells trendy, affordable swimwear, bikinis, cover-ups, activewear and loungewear. Founded in 2015 by former Alibaba CEO David Wei, the internet-first label pairs a Shopify-powered DTC website and app with a strong Amazon presence, reaching millions of customers across more than 100 countries. Known for vibrant prints, size-inclusive fits and $15-$30 price points, Cupshe grew into a roughly $150M-plus swimwear business and has expanded into recycled, GRS-certified sustainable collections.
Dagne Dover
Dagne Dover is a New York-based direct-to-consumer accessories brand founded in 2013 that designs hyper-functional bags - backpacks, totes, diaper bags, and luggage - engineered around organization and everyday problem-solving. Built by three women who bootstrapped rather than chasing venture capital, the brand is known for its signature neoprene 365 Collection, recycled Repreve linings, and an 'Almost Vintage' resale program that extends the life of its products.
FIGS
FIGS is a direct-to-consumer healthcare apparel brand that reinvented the medical scrub. Founded in 2013 by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, the Santa Monica company sells comfortable, technical scrubs, lab coats, footwear and lifestyle wear made from its proprietary FIONx fabric, sold almost entirely online to nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. FIGS reached $631 million in revenue in 2025, serves roughly 2.9 million active customers, and trades on the NYSE under the ticker FIGS after a landmark 2021 IPO.
Frances Valentine
Frances Valentine is a New York-based, vintage-inspired fashion label founded in 2016 by Kate Spade, Andy Spade, Elyce Arons and Paola Venturi - the same circle behind the original Kate Spade brand. It designs joyful, color-forward apparel, handbags, shoes, jewelry and accessories built to transcend trends, sold primarily direct-to-consumer online and through a small network of owned stores. The brand pairs quality craftsmanship with a playful, heritage-minded aesthetic drawn from mid-century style icons, aiming to make everyday dressing fun.
Frank & Eileen
Frank & Eileen is a Los Angeles-based apparel brand founded in 2009 by Audrey McLoghlin to reinvent the women's button-up shirt using premium Italian fabrics historically reserved for menswear. Named for the founder's Irish grandparents, the brand is 100% woman-owned, has never taken venture capital, and became a Certified B Corporation in 2020 with one of the highest impact scores of any U.S. apparel company. Its shirts are woven in Italy and its knitwear is made in California, and its work has been worn by figures including Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle and Angelina Jolie.
FULLBEAUTY Brands
FULLBEAUTY Brands is a New York-based online retailer and holding company dedicated to plus-size and extended-size fashion for women and men. Tracing its roots to 1901, it operates a portfolio of 15+ brands - including Woman Within, Roaman's, Catherines, Jessica London, ELOQUII, CUUP, Swimsuits For All, KingSize, Avenue, Dia & Co and BrylaneHome - serving customers in sizes 12 and up with apparel, intimates, swimwear, shoes, accessories, beauty and home goods. Once a catalog mail-order pioneer, the company now positions itself as a digital-first destination and marketplace for inclusive fashion.
GUIZIO
GUIZIO is the New York womenswear label founded by self-taught designer Danielle Guizio in 2014. Built around signature corsets, structured suiting and form-fitting silhouettes with asymmetrical cut-outs and custom hardware, the brand grew from a $400 graphic-tee project in a New Jersey basement into a direct-to-consumer fashion house with a SoHo flagship, international showrooms and a celebrity following that includes the Hadids, the Kardashian-Jenners, Rosalia, Blackpink and Lady Gaga.
J.Crew
J.Crew is a New York-based American specialty apparel retailer founded in 1983, known for preppy, versatile clothing for men, women and children sold through stores, catalogs and jcrew.com. Part of J.Crew Group (which also owns Madewell), the brand pairs updated wardrobe classics with quality fabrics and a run of buzzy cultural collaborations, and is executing a widely covered comeback under CEO Libby Wadle after emerging from a 2020 Chapter 11 restructuring.
Knix
Knix is a Toronto-based direct-to-consumer intimate apparel company that pioneered the leakproof underwear category. Founded in 2013 by Joanna Griffiths, it designs machine-washable, reusable period and leakproof underwear, bras, activewear, swimwear and shapewear built for the realities of menstruation, bladder leaks, postpartum and body changes. Known for size-inclusive design and a mission to empower women to be 'unapologetically free,' Knix grew into the #1 leakproof brand in North America and was acquired by Swedish hygiene giant Essity in 2022 in what was reported as the largest exit by a Canadian female founder.
Lands' End
Lands' End is an American classics apparel and home retailer founded in 1963 as a mail-order sailing-gear business and now headquartered in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. It sells timeless clothing, swimwear, outerwear, footwear and home textiles directly to consumers through its website and catalogs, and outfits more than 70,000 businesses, organizations and schools through its Outfitters and School Uniform units. Publicly traded on Nasdaq (LE), the company generated roughly $1.3 billion in annual net revenue and is known for its unconditional 'Guaranteed. Period.' promise and its cult-favorite monogrammed canvas tote.
NOBULL
NOBULL is a Boston-based direct-to-consumer athletic brand that designs minimalist, durability-focused footwear and apparel for training and daily life. Founded in 2015 by two former Reebok executives, it built its reputation on no-nonsense CrossFit trainers before expanding into running, lifestyle apparel and nutrition. Now co-owned by entrepreneur Mike Repole and Tom Brady, the brand carries a reported $1 billion valuation.
On
On is a Swiss performance sportswear company founded in Zurich in 2010 that designs premium running shoes, apparel, and accessories. Built around its patented CloudTec cushioning - a sole of hollow rubber pods engineered to feel like 'running on clouds' - On grew from a specialty-running startup into a NYSE-listed brand (ticker ONON) with roughly $3.3 billion in projected 2025 revenue. Backed by tennis great Roger Federer since 2019, it competes with Nike, Adidas, and Hoka through design-led innovation, a fast-growing direct-to-consumer business, and manufacturing bets like robot-sprayed LightSpray uppers.
Pair of Thieves
Pair of Thieves is a Culver City, California men's basics brand that reimagines everyday essentials - socks, underwear, undershirts, tees and loungewear - with a focus on fit, performance fabrics and playful design at accessible prices. Founded in 2012 by three friends (film producer Cash Warren, designer Alan Stuart and operator David Ehrenberg) who each put in $1,500 to start a sock company, the brand grew into a roughly $100 million business sold at Target, Kohl's, Nordstrom, Amazon and direct-to-consumer. Its 'Give a Pair' and 'Good Fits' programs have donated millions of pairs of socks to people experiencing homelessness and to causes spanning mental health and LGBTQ+ youth support.
Paul Fredrick
Paul Fredrick is a Pennsylvania-based direct-to-consumer menswear company founded in 1986 that built its name on well-fitting dress shirts and grew into a full men's wardrobe brand covering shirts, suits, sport coats, pants, knits, shoes and accessories. Known for non-iron and performance fabrics, signature contrast-trim details and a perfect-fit guarantee, the company sells online and by catalog, backed by human customer service based in Fleetwood, PA. It is majority owned by private equity firm ClearLight Partners and is led by CEO Erica Lee.
Portland Leather Goods
Portland Leather Goods is a bootstrapped, direct-to-consumer leather brand founded in 2015 by Curtis Matsko in a single-car garage in Portland, Oregon. What began as a handmade journal for his girlfriend grew into one of Etsy's top all-time sellers and a $100M+ business selling handcrafted full-grain leather totes, crossbodies, wallets and accessories. Known for its signature tumbled 'pebble' leather, aggressive social-media community building, and a fiercely loyal customer base, PLG blends artisan craftsmanship with modern DTC marketing to offer high-end leather at accessible prices.
PVH Corp.
PVH Corp. is one of the world's largest branded apparel companies, built around two iconic global lifestyle brands, Calvin Klein and TOMMY HILFIGER. Tracing its roots to an 1881 shirtmaking business in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the New York-headquartered company designs, markets and distributes clothing, footwear and accessories in more than 40 countries through wholesale, retail and direct-to-consumer channels. Under CEO Stefan Larsson's PVH+ Plan, the company is concentrating on brand-building, digital and DTC-led growth, generating roughly $8.95 billion in annual revenue with more than 70% coming from outside the United States.
Rhone
Rhone is a Stamford, Connecticut premium performance apparel brand founded in 2014, best known for pioneering men's activewear that bridges the gym, the office and everyday life. Built around proprietary technical fabrics and its signature Commuter collection, Rhone sells direct-to-consumer online and through a growing retail footprint while championing men's mental health through its Mind & Muscle events and partnerships with the NBA and LPGA.
Tecovas
Tecovas is an Austin, Texas-based western brand that set out to be the "Warby Parker of cowboy boots" - selling handmade, León, Mexico-crafted leather boots and western apparel directly to consumers at attainable prices. Founded in 2015 by Paul Hedrick, it grew from an online-only startup into an omnichannel retailer with more than 50 stores, roughly $300 million in expected sales, and a loyal community drawn to its blend of heritage craftsmanship and modern retail.
Title Nine
Title Nine is a women-owned outdoor and active apparel brand founded in 1989 by Missy Park and named after the Title IX law that opened school sports to women. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, it designs and sells sports bras, activewear, swimwear, and outdoor clothing built specifically for women's bodies. What began as a Bay Area mail-order catalog has grown into an estimated $100M direct-to-consumer and retail business - the largest independently owned retailer of women's fitness clothing - staffed overwhelmingly by women athletes and led by an all-women executive team. Alongside apparel, Title Nine has invested heavily in female entrepreneurs through its annual Pitchfest competitions.
TRUEWERK
Truewerk is a Denver-based, direct-to-consumer performance workwear brand that borrows fabric technology and construction from the outdoor and military apparel industries and applies it to clothing for skilled trade professionals. Founded in 2015 by former homebuilder Brian Ciciora, the company is best known for its temperature-graded WerkPant system (T1, T2, T3) built from 4-way-stretch, water-resistant, abrasion-resistant synthetic blends that outlast and outperform traditional cotton work pants. Sold primarily through its own e-commerce site alongside a growing uniform-services offering, Truewerk has raised roughly $35M and pitches itself as workwear engineered for comfort, mobility, and durability on the jobsite.
Vuori
Vuori is a Carlsbad, California-based performance apparel company that blends athletic function with casual style. Founded in 2015 by Joe Kudla, it started as a direct-to-consumer men's activewear brand rooted in the coastal Southern California lifestyle and grew into a broad athleisure label for men and women. Known for soft technical fabrics like its DreamKnit and Ponto lines, Vuori sells online, through its own stores, and via wholesale partners including Nordstrom, REI and Equinox. A 2024 secondary investment led by General Atlantic and Stripes valued the company at $5.5 billion.
Nick Wilkoff
Nick Wilkoff is the Chief Marketing Officer of L.L.Bean, the 111-year-old Maine outdoor brand known for its lifetime guarantee, Bean Boots, and Outdoor Discovery programs. A Middlebury environmental policy graduate who started his career as a Forrester Research analyst, Wilkoff leads brand, marketing, and customer engagement for a company doing roughly $1.7 billion in annual revenue. He champions an outdoors-for-everyone philosophy, pairing L.L.Bean's heritage of quality and durability with a modern, inclusive, community-first approach to keeping a legacy brand relevant.
Sarah Sylvester
Sarah Sylvester is the Chief Marketing Officer of Lands' End, the first person to hold that title at the heritage American apparel and home brand in nearly a decade. She joined in April 2026 after almost 20 years at Victoria's Secret, where she rose from intern to Executive Vice President of Marketing and led high-profile brand reinvention work across the Victoria's Secret and PINK labels. A customer-first marketer known for balancing heritage with modern, data-informed storytelling, she now leads Lands' End's brand-building push as part of its turnaround and joint venture with WHP Global.
Paragon Fitwear
Paragon Fitwear is a direct-to-consumer women's activewear brand from Ada, Michigan, best known for Sculptseam - a patented hidden-scrunch seam that shapes the glutes without an obvious ruched look. Started in a garage in 2013, the brand builds performance leggings, shorts, sports bras and loungewear around proprietary fabrics like RecStretch, UltraLux and the recycled Reluna, and sells almost entirely online to women who lift.
When the Algorithm Becomes the Stylist: Why AI Doesn't Know Your Favorite Fashion Brand Yet
The Fashion AI Visibility Report, published by the YesPress Newsroom in July 2026, examines how AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are becoming the new gateway for fashion discovery. It argues that established retailers currently out-appear high-growth direct-to-consumer brands in AI recommendations, and lays out a five-pillar framework—technical readiness, content authority, digital PR, community presence, and knowledge graph optimization—for DTC brands to close the gap and win early in the customer journey.
Aaron Heiser
Aaron Heiser is the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of Malbon Golf, the Santa Monica streetwear-meets-golf brand founded by Stephen and Erica Malbon. Appointed in October 2024, he runs day-to-day operations while the founders steer creative as co-Chief Creative Officers. Heiser arrived after roughly 18 years at Nike, where he ran retail across Western Europe and Greater China before serving as Global VP of Apparel, Accessories and Licensing. A Cornell graduate and former varsity wrestler, he has built a career relocating across Amsterdam, Shanghai and Oregon, and now leads Malbon as it pushes toward roughly $100 million in revenue and deeper international expansion.
FloSports
FloSports is an Austin-based direct-to-consumer sports streaming company that broadcasts underserved and niche sports - wrestling, cycling, track and field, motorsports, gymnastics, grappling, hockey and more - with the depth typically reserved for major professional leagues. Founded in 2006 by brothers Martin and Mark Floreani, the subscription platform streamed roughly 40,000 live events in 2024, reached more than 23 million viewers, and reported record revenue and sustained profitability ahead of its 2025 Series D round led by Dream Sports.